1. IMPACT OF ANTHROPOGENIC STRESSORS IN THE MORTALITY OF ENDANGERED VERTEBRATE SPECIES: A 10-YEAR STUDY IN NORTHERN PORTUGAL
- Author
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Sara Lóio, Andreia Garcês, Rui Cortes, Felisbina L. Queiroga, Luis Filipe Sanches, Justina Prada, Isabel Pires, Fernandes Vanessa Soeiro, and Fernando António Leal Pacheco
- Subjects
pls-pm ,General Veterinary ,Ecology ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Veterinary medicine ,Stressor ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Endangered species ,conservation ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Vertebrate ,Biology ,wildlife mortality ,biology.animal ,endangered animals ,SF600-1100 ,anthropogenic pressures - Abstract
This study was focused to gather the data available concerning the mortality of 440 wild animals admitted in the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Parque Biológico de Gaia from 2008-2017. Only the species with unfavorable conservation status according to the Portuguese Red Book of Vertebrates were included. The animals belonged to the classes Mammalia (5.68%), Aves (86.14%), Reptilia (7.95%), and Amphibia (0.22%), 19 different orders. Overall, the most common cause of death was trauma (72%), mainly due to an unknown origin (75.5%) and shooting (2.5%). The nontraumatic causes were mainly of unknown origin (n= 18.4%) and due to nutritional problems (4.7%). Amongst the identified pressures, the proximity to a high density of small and medium companies was the most significant. There were high coefficients of redetermination (R2>0.8) which relates pressures with endangered animals’ mortality. It is, therefore, possible to conclude that according to our results human activity has an important impact on the mortality of these species.
- Published
- 2021